Nove Mesto Pod Smrkem

What an achievement, we made it to the top of the Smrk! This mountain is the highest in the Jizera region of Czech Republic, and stands at 1,124 metres. Near to the small town of Nove Mesto Pod Smrkem, it lies on the border with Poland and from the summit it is possible to see three countires in one place, the other being Germany. It was an amazing feeling to be up there, and as we were there on the day of the traditional annual hike, we were even rewarded by our efforts with a pivo and klobasa. It was the perfect way to say goodbye and farewell to two of the French volunteers who are here in this picture, as it was the final weekend of their EVS and we went to celebrate with them.

 

Bambiriada May 2012

This is the biggest action for children in the Czech Republic and takes place annually all over the country, with music, dancing, theatre, activities and crafts it is a great day out for families. OKO took part in the event organised here in Rychnov, and the volunteers prepared the really popular activity to make juggling balls out of balloons and rice, as well as thread and bracelet making and paper crafts. This was a great opportunity to work outdoors with the public, get hands on with a variety of youngsters of different ages and backgrounds, and gain experience of working in a busy and changeable environment.

It was a really enjoyable couple of days and a good experience in informal education. It was possible to informally promote OKO's activities to parents and children and make an impression on the public by presenting the organisation in a different way, to give people new ideas and show the kids how to create toys from different materials.

Happy birthday Anni!

This will be a birthday I will never forget, for the first time in my life I was not in my country for it, and for the first time I was in Germany! Since I live here with a lovely German girl I had big expectations from this trip, and I was not dissapointed. I absolutely fell in love with Berlin, for its culture, its atmosphere and its incredible history, I could of spent much more time there than we had, because it is so massive. I hope to go there again someday, and with the great friends I have made here in Czech Republic I imagine that I will, perhaps for new years eve?!

A Holiday in Wales

I was lucky enough to visit Wales during April, and just as the sun was beginning to get warm and summer was arriving in Czech Republic, you bet the weather was typically awful back home! Here are a couple of photos so you have an idea. I had hoped to go to the beach, and perhaps have a BBQ down the beach, instead we had our winter clothes and rain coats out. It was of course still great, and a lot of fun to be there. I got to see my family, friends and of course my cheeky pup Maisy!

Intercultural Evening

On April 19^th OKO held its annual Intercultural Evening in Rychnov with presentations from Wales, France, Germany and Spain. The volunteers produced a demonstration from each of their countries presenting posters, information, and of course traditional foods to sample.

There was a great turnout with many people coming to discover something new about our cultures, and everyone enjoyed the food; Spain’s sangria was a particular favourite followed closely by Wales’ welshcakes and typical British chicken, leek and mushroom pie!

We really enjoyed the event, and it was a lovely opportunity to share our countries’ traditions in a different context; and as the presentations varied from the entertaining to the informative there was plenty to learn and think about.

To see some photos from the evening, just click on the “Events” tab above.

The Welsh Language

Since I have been in Czech Republic, many people have come to me with the question, "what exactly is the Welsh language?" So I have prepared some information about it in the form of a short article, I hope you find it informative and it gives you an insight into the nature of Welsh and its origins.

Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon: A nation without a language is a nation without a heart.

The Welsh language has an incredibly rich history; intertwined with the nation’s culture and heritage the ancient dialect has survived migration, revolution and persecution to become a contemporary institution and symbol of pride among the Welsh people.

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Despite this, beyond the borders little is known of Wales and its language, as a small country of just 3.5 million inhabitants it is often overlooked as an extension of England, and many people do not realise it as an officially bilingual nation with its own perplexing narrative.

So what is the story of the Welsh language; how did it come to be that even the proudest Welshman still might find himself without his native tongue; and what is changing people’s attitudes towards this subject?

To continue reading, please click on the "Articles" tab.

EVS in OKO

Elise did an amazing job creating this promotional video for OKO Centrum and the future volunteers. The video is intended to share our work here with a wider audience and offer a glimpse into the lives of EVS volunteers. We hope you enjoy it!

Conversation Club

Wednesdays Timetable

28-03-12 Hobbies

04-04-12 Music

11-04-12 Famous People

18-04-12 Life Abroad

25-04-12 Holidays

02-05-12 Job Interview

09-05-12 No Club

16-05-12 College Interview

23-05-12 Sports

30-05-12 Your Home

06-05-12 Hotel Reservations

Job Interview Skills Workshop

On the 28^th of February the volunteers in OKO delivered a special presentation for unemployed members of the public in Rychnov nad Kneznou; the aim of the event was to help participants gain practical English skills to use in a job interview, in writing a cover letter and in the preparation of a CV.

The day began with information about the European Voluntary Service, using a presentation we explained the nature of the project, what our roles are in OKO and talked about our experiences so far. This was also a chance to introduce ourselves before going on to work in small groups with the participants on each of the topics.

The tasks were broken down into the three main areas: interview skills, cover letter and CV. Each participant had a chance to talk about each subject, and were given advise on improving their language and a chance to practice.

The day was very successful and everyone who took part was satisfied with the outcome. As a result we will be taking this activity to the neighbouring town of Nachod on April 2^nd and organising a follow-up session for the original participants in Rychnov.

As the native English speaker in OKO, my main responsibility during this activity was the interview aspect, and for me it was a really rewarding experience to be able to share my language and skills in a way that felt incredibly productive and useful to the participants. Please view the “Job Interview” section to find the materials from the workshop.

On-Arrival Training in Chaloupky 21-26 February

I have just taken part in my On-Arrival Trainingas part of the European Voluntary Service programme. I took part in 6 days of activities and met many other volunteers from all over Europe, who will also be working on various projects within the Czech Republic this year.

The training took place in a centre for ecological and outdoor education called Chaloupky, which is around 30 minutes away from Jihlava. While we were there we made many games and group sessions in the centre, learnt about our role as volunteers and took advise on working as a team.

As part of the activities we were given the chance to make a workshop for the other volunteers, and I took the opportunity to teach a group how to juggle! It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed sharing my skill with the participants, who in fact were very quick to learn and I was happy to see them able to juggle by the end of the session.

I hope that the group will remain friends throughout the year and we will maintain contact after the EVS. It was a great experience and I would like to thank the trainers, Honza, Bara and Karol for their leadership and advise, as well as the great staff at Chaloupky who made it a fantastic week for all involved!

Famous Persons Exhibition

Our new exhibition is up and read to visit at the town hall, so drop in and see which people you know and which you don't, you might be suprised in what you find out! Take the quizz afterwards to test your knowledge...

Happy New Year!

It has come around so quickly, we are already in 2012! The EVS volunteers are back from their holidays in their native countries, it has been a great time to relax and enjoy company with friends and family and after many celebrations the time has come to return to the Czech Republic. We hope that you have also enjoyed the festive season, and in this new year we hope to bring you more new and exciting activities at OKO. Look out for our new exhibition coming soon!

It's nearly Christmas!

Ho Ho Ho! Santa is on his way, so check out the special Christmas themed "spot the difference" game I made for young children under the Presentations tab!

EVS Food Festival and Intercultural Weekend in Olomouc

On the 2nd - 4th of December a group of 22 volunteers from across th Czech Republic took part in this exciting weekend. The task was to create a typical meal from your native country so that everyone else could taste some new cuisine! Us four OKO volunteers were there, trying all the different foods but it was also an opportunity to meet more people from other organisations while we are here in CZ. It was a lot of fun with music, singing, games and crafts as well as cooking to enjoy. Here are some photos of the event!

       

New Content

Christmas Bulletins are now available to view under the "bulletins" tab. Have a look to see what you didn't know about Christmas in the UK and Australia!

In "articles" you can find out how the metric system came to be and cringe over some creepy pictures of animals courtesy of New Scientist.

Christmas is coming!

Our new exhibition is up in the hall of Rychnov Public Library for you to visit, our posters are prepared to inform you of all the different traditions in our native countries during the holiday season. What do we eat? What is the story of Christmas? What is Christmas like in Australia?! Find out by visiting the hall between now and January. Enjoy :)

New Features

On the blog you will now be able to find extra content in the English language, so keep checking back for more interesting posts in video, music and articles!

Cinema Club

A new feature for OKO this year, soon we will be starting a cinema club! Anyone can participate, the aim of the club is to engage with your chosen language in a different way other than just reading from books. We will show a short film/documentary/cartoon - anything you would like to see, and discuss it together afterwards. Come along and see what you think!

English Club 2011

Hello! Let me introduce myself, my name is Annabel and I am 22 years old. I have just arrived here at OKO and I will be taking over the English Club for 2011/2012. My first week has been very interesting and I'm looking forward to getting to know the participants over the coming months.

I really hope to make English Club a fun and positive experience for everyone, and if you have any ideas for activities you would like to try please let me know, (for example: reading a from an English newspaper or magazine and discussing the articles). You can contact me anytime via email from the blog.

See you soon!